Historical Places in the United States of America
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The United States of America is full of places that connect the American
people to their history. It makes sense for us to learn about these important
sites that keep our heritage alive, and even if it is not possible to actually
visit these places ourselves, we can take virtual tours of many of them.
It is well worth the time to learn about our history and remember those
who played vital roles in our history. Let us look at some of these important
historical places and learn something about people who have taken an important
part in the creation of our heritage.
The Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial
was built as a monument to the memory of American President Abraham Lincoln.
The Memorial was designed by architect Henry Bacon, who based his creation
on the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The exterior of the building is embellished
by thirty six pillars that symbolize that number of states, with reference
to the time of the demise of Abraham Lincoln. There is a fresco above
these columns that mentions the names of the states that were in existence
at the time of Lincoln’s demise, and above these names are shown the names
of the forty eight states that were in existence when the Lincoln memorial
was built. There is a plaque on the front stairs of the monument that
symbolize Hawaii and Alaska. You will also see a couple of Jules Guerin’s
frescos and a statue of Lincoln created by Daniel Chester Finch.
The Washington Monument
This memorial, which was built between 1848 and 1888, was the creation
of Robert Mills. The Washington
Monument features a 555 foot high obelisk. You can ascend
to a platform from where you can see beautiful vistas of the city of Washington
D.C.
The Jefferson Memorial
This monument to President
Thomas Jefferson, situated in Washington D.C., was designed
by architect John Russell Pope. Pope made sure that Jeefferson own architectural
preferences were well represented in the monument – it is designed in
a similar way to the Pantheon in Rome, as is Thomas Jefferson’s own residence
Monticello. The Jefferson Memorial contains a large figure of the President
– it was Rudolph Evans who created this nineteen foot image.
The Ford’s Theater National Historic Site
Ford’s Theater was the fateful location of the assassination of President
Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth. This is an interesting place to see, redolent
with history.
The FDR Memorial
The monument to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, affectionately known
as FDR, lies near the well known Cherry Tree Walk in the Tidal Basin of
the West Potomac Park in the capital of America, Washington D.C. This
stretch, which is home to the memorials to four American Presidents, is
called the National Mall. Besides the FDR
Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial and
the Jefferson Memorial are all located on the National Mall.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, constructed in 1982, is well worth a visit.
Tourists flock to this site in Washington D.C. to see the names – close
to sixty thousand of them - of those who died in this futile war. This
memorial was built on the basis of a design by Maya Ying Lin. Frederick
E Hart’s 1984 figure of a trio of soldiers is here in the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial, which also contains another sculpture (carved by Glenna Goodacre)
of a group of nurses looking after an injured warrior. This latter statue
was added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1993.
Fort Douglas
Fort Douglas, which was built on the eastern side of Salt Lake City with
a view to defending the mail route and preventing trouble from the Mormon
people, was set up in October of 1862 and given the name of Illinois Senator
Stephen A. Douglas. Colonel Patrick E. Connor commanded the new fort,
which was initially comprised merely of hastily constructed trenches.
Wooden constructions were set up the following summer. During the period
1873 to 1876, the fort was reconstructed using red sandstone. The construction
made of red brick which is now standing at Fort Douglas was made during
the first part of the twentieth century.
National Museum of American History
You can go online to the National
Museum of American History., where all the valuable artefacts from
this museum are indexed, so that you can conveniently access information
about any of them.
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
A great way to learn about Fort McHenry, where the American national anthem
was composed, is to take a virtual tour of this landmark in Maryland.
Golden Spike National Historic Site
The transcontinental railroad was built in the eighteen sixties by two
railroad companies - the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific
Railroad. The former company started work in Omaha in Nebraska while the
latter company began to build the line at Sacramento in California. The
work done by the two companies came together in Utah, in Promontory Point
and a golden spike marks this historic spot.
Presidential Log Cabins
Learn about the American Presidents who resided in log cabins – Abraham
Lincoln was not the only one. You can get information about this subject
if you go online at Presidential
Log Cabins..
Fort Laramie
At Fort
Laramie, you can learn about famous people who played an important
role in our country’s history, particularly at this location, including
Crazy Horse or Tashunka Witco, John Fremont, Buffalo Bill, Jim Bridger,
Wyatt Earp, Kit Carson, Jedediah S. Smith and Martha Jane Cannary, also
known as Calamity Jane.
Guzton Borglum
An interesting historical figure is Gutzon Borglum. His major achievement
was to create the vast sculptured visages of Presidents on Mount Rushmore.
These carvings can be seen from as far as sixty miles.
Pony Express Museum
At the Pony Express Museum, you can find out about the famous young riders
who raced across America, transporting mail to Sacramento in California
from St. Joseph in Missouri in an unbelievable ten days.
Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement
The challenges and difficulties faced by the American Civil Rights Movement
are retold at Historic
Places of the Civil Rights Movement. The movement, which came to a
head in the middle of the twentieth century, gained momentum in several
locations and these areas, educational institutions and houses are mentioned
in the National Register of Historic Places.
Underground Railroad Freedom Center
You can gain an insight into the fight for freedom at the Underground
Railroad Freedom Center.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
It was World War II old hand Frank Gaylord who created the plans for the
Korean War Veterans Memorial. This monument is remarkable for nineteen
figures made of stainless steel. These figures represent a patrolling
squad of American ground soldiers.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the country’s national library, set up in 1800,
during the period of John Adams’ tenure as President and that of Thomas
Jefferson as Vice President. The latter was the driving force behind the
setting up of the Library of Congress. There are three large buildings
that comprise the Library – these are all located on Capitol Hill, not
far from other landmarks such as the U.S. Capitol, the 1980 Madison Building,
the 1939 Adams Building and the 1897 Jefferson Building. Visitors to the
Library of Congress and users of the library’s services number in the
millions annually. Damage by English soldiers fighting in the War of 1812
resulted in considerable reduction in the volume of the library’s books
in 1814. The number of books was increased by a fair amount when the state
purchased the books that were part of Thomas Jefferson’s private collection.
6487 books were purchased for a sum of $23,940. This made the Library
of Congress even bigger than it had been earlier.
Teachers who would like to get their students interested in the history
and culture of our country can access effective lesson plans and help
with searches online. Some useful resources in this regard include Teaching
With Historic Places, Designing a Tour of Washington D.C.. and Monument
on the Mall.. There are fascinating virtual field trips that are relevant
to this field of study, and teachers can make use of the UEN Virtual Field
Trip software that was made especially for use in schools in Utah. Visit
Fort
Douglas for an idea of what is offered on these trips, made by both
teachers and students. 
